Everyone has just as much right to any part of a public body of water as the next person. It is about sharing it responsibly. I live on a very large heavily populated lake with lots of coves and fingers. Myself and other wake surfers travel a long ways across the lake buring a lot of time and gas to get to one particular cove/ finger with few houses to blast our music and wakes at empty shoreline instead of at houses and docks. There is kind of an unspoken order to it. Bass guys hit the spot in the morning. Poontoons with older folks and grandkids hit it until the boarders show up and then move a larger calm coves with lots of homes. Boarders try not to stay too late for the thought of the few homes on the outskirts of this cove and respect each other in a small floating spot so not too many at one time. We will even stop altogether when the occasional skier shows up. We also all make the same counter clockwise circle. If we want to tube we go to one of the larger adjacent coves with more homes or our own home cove after dumping our ballast. Without fail on busy weekends tubers will come right down the middle of that wake/surf cove or even zig zag through it too close. Without fail their tuber go for a bone jarring ride over the wakes and beg to stop. Some even stop right in the path.
Most respect and appreciate this natural order. The bass guys do because they prefer to be out in the morning and don’t appreciate having their docks rocked by wakeboarders/surfers on other parts of the lake. Same for the older pontoon/deck boat guy on the lake pulling grandkids on a tube.
I honestly think those who upset the natural order either don’t know or don’t care but then complain when boats rock their dock on a different part, their kids start crying from a bone jarring ride, their boat starts rocking, or they take in a mouthful of water floating behind their boat. They also make it harder for respectful wake sport guy who went out of his way to where fewer houses, docks, and boats are to be and stay respectful.
My biggest question to people who only tube is why oh why would you even want to go into an area with the 3 foot waves from wake boats that will send your tuber for a bone jarring ride when there are better options? Are you aware that you can steer, slow down, and speed up with regards to other boats wakes and your riders comfort but a wakeboarder or skier will end up going down trying to avoid other boats wakes or trying to absorb them?
For the wakeboarders and surfers out there. Have you considered that not everone wants to hear your music. Have you considered there is a reason why all of the wake boats are in one cove going around in the same direction and why there are some just parked there waiting their turn or do you go on the the next one where the tubers and docks are and rock their world? Have you considered how you would feel if you owned the docked boat that you just drove by 20 ft away with full ballast or that kid that bounced insanely hard on the tube was your own.
For those of you who don’t live on the lake you boat on but visit the same lake frequently have you even been observant enough to know the natural order? Do you even appreciate that these folks live there and have to deal with all sorts of jerks doing things they should not too close to their dock? How would you like it if they came and left strips in front of your house, threw rocks at your mailbox, or drove around aimlessly on the quiet road where all the kids ride their bikes and play ball in the street that locals go out of their way just so the kids can? Equivalent stuff happens to lake dwellers every weekend and holiday.
Yep this was a rant. No life is not fair. Some folks are just plain jerks. For the ones who aren’t perhaps there was something you did not realize in what I wrote or perhaps you can commiserate. For
@robert843 it should make for good fodder for one of his videos which is what I think this thread was aimed at.
